Incognito
by livezinshadowz
Summary: Set during Hoenn. Sometimes the best things in life are disguised, hidden from view even though they should be obvious. Ash discovers this the hard way when he runs into Misty in Hoenn...only she's working for Team Aqua. In his quest to find the truth, Ash learns a bit more than he thought he would, about both Misty and himself. Pokeshipping
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Pokémon.

**Author's Note: **Well, as promised in the latest update of "Journey of Legends", here's the beginning of a new Pokéshipping story. Chapters should be around this length, and it'll only be around 5 tops, so this story shouldn't drag on. Just something to write to keep me in the Pokémon state-of-mind while I work out the plot of "Journey of Legends".

This was inspired by a picture I saw on DeviantArt. Also, the events of the Togepi Paradise episodes never happened. Please read, enjoy, and review.

-l-l-l-

The repetitive knocking at the front door lured the 15-year-old, red-haired girl out of the pool. She grabbed a towel she had placed at the edge and quickly dried off any loose water droplets cascading down her body. It was a little early in the morning for any challengers to approach the gym, but there was always the odd trainer who wanted to get a head start on the day.

She should know, having traveled with one such person for years.

Towel now slung over her shoulders, she opened the door with a forced smile, mildly irritated at both the incessant knocking and the interruption to her morning routine. "Hello, and welcome to the – oh!"

"Hello, Misty," greeted the tall man before her. "I see you remember me."

"Yes, of course!" She suddenly became very aware of her state of dress and the fact that her hair was dripping wet, giving her the appearance of a drowned rat. All-in-all, it was not the best impression to make upon such an important figure. "Sorry…if you'll give me a moment to change, I can receive you properly –"

Her guest laughed. "Really, that's completely unnecessary. I actually find it quite admirable that you're so dedicated to your duties. It's one of the reasons I've come to see you. Is there a place where we can speak in private?"

"Um, yes," she answered, moving aside to let the man in. She shut the door behind him and lead her guest past the swimming pool. "Follow me. My sisters are still gone on their tour, but the kitchen should be the most comfortable place." They walked to their destination in silence; when they reached the kitchen, Misty opened the refrigerator and poured herself a glass of orange juice. "Would you like something to drink?" she offered.

"No, thank you though. I'm hoping this meeting will be relatively short…I have other duties to attend to."

Misty nodded, "Of course." Being a Gym Leader was hard enough; she couldn't even imagine what sort of responsibilities her guest had to deal with on a regular basis. Taking a seat in a chair, she cupped her hands around the glass and looked up. "So, what can I do for you?"

The man took a breath and settled his back against the kitchen's wall. "You're aware that part of my job involves traveling the world and stopping people or organizations which mistreat Pokémon, yes?" At Misty's nod, he continued, "Well, it's come to the attention of myself and my colleagues that there's a movement in Hoenn focused on doing just that."

_Hoenn? Ash…_ Misty hadn't heard much from her friend since being forced to return to the Cerulean City Gym, but she knew that he was venturing around Hoenn in an effort to compete in the Ever Grande Conference. Last she knew, he was preparing for a rematch for his second badge. "What does that have to do with me?"

"There are two organizations in Hoenn who are…at odds, would be the polite way to put it. Their methods are a bit unclear, but their goals are to change the world for the betterment of humanity, according to them. We don't believe that their plans have good intentions for the locals, but it's difficult to make a move against the bosses when we don't have any definitive evidence of their activities, nor a solid lead on where they're hiding.

"That's where you come in. We'd like you to infiltrate one of the organizations and serve as a spy to feed us intelligence."

Misty started in shock. "M-me? I don't understand…"

Her visitor sighed. "I'll be honest. My associates don't believe it…prudent…to entrust this task to a teenage girl."

"Then why –"

He raised a hand to forestall her. "Please, let me finish. One of these organizations calls itself Team Aqua. Reports of their activities show that they're a water-based crime syndicate.

"You," he continued, holding out a hand palm-up and beginning to tick points off on his fingers, "are a very talented Water Pokémon trainer. Part of my job is to keep track of the standings of the Gym Leaders," he added when Misty opened her mouth to ask how he knew that. "In addition, a new recruit who is young is far less likely to attract suspicion than one who is older, especially since you're a Water-type specialist. Being from Kanto, you'll also be far less recognizable than other water experts such as Juan or Wallace, even considering your status as a Gym Leader.

"Misty, this isn't something I would ask of you if I didn't think you were capable of doing it. But you should understand that if you take this job, you may be asked to do some…morally grey deeds in order to keep your cover as a member of Team Aqua. If that's something that you feel you're not comfortable with, then you should let me know now. I would completely understand."

Silence stretched between the two as Misty considered everything she had been told. She was being asked to help take down a criminal organization within a region of the world that held no true significance to her, other than the knowledge that her best friend was currently traveling there. But her guest was also not a Hoenn native, and yet he was willing to interfere in their affairs in order to help make the world a better place. Was it right to refuse to help just because she wasn't from the region?

Ash would do it. Considering all the life-threatening adventures Ash had been a part of in both Kanto and Johto, she knew that he would have absolutely no issue with running headfirst into a situation that was likely to hurt innocent people or Pokémon, especially if he had the opportunity to prevent it.

Not that Ash had the necessary subtlety to pull off something as sneaky as posing as a double agent in an enemy base (his failed subterfuge as 'Ashley' in the Celadon City Gym was not something easily forgotten), but that was beside the point.

Misty closed her eyes and inhaled deeply before releasing a slow breath. "I'll do it," she said, blue-green eyes meeting the brown ones of her guest.

He pushed himself off the wall. "You're sure about this?"

"Yes."

"And you understand that, in the course of this mission, you may be forced to partake in some unsavory tasks? I want to be very clear that you don't have to do this unless you truly feel like you can manage it. I don't want to risk your well-being unnecessarily."

"…Yes, I understand. I may not like it," she whispered, "but I'll do what I have to in order to help you bring down Team Aqua."

The tall man looked at her for a long moment, trying to analyze if she was truly ready. Finally, he nodded. "Very well. We'll have to depart rather quickly if we want to make good time."

"What about your other duties?"

"This is a priority. I'll take you to Indigo Plateau so you can be properly prepared for what you're going to face."

"Wait!" Misty cried, realization striking her. "What about the gym?"

"Hmm, yes, that is a slight problem. You said your sisters are gone –"

"Not that they were ever very good about taking care of the gym in the first place," she muttered.

"— and I'd rather not leave Kanto short-handed one of its primary gyms. …I'll make some calls," he promised after a pause. "I think I know someone who wouldn't mind taking over for a little bit, once she understands the situation."

"Alright…can you just give me a moment to gather some things, and I'll meet you outside?" Her companion nodded and left, and Misty heard the closing of the gym door as she raced upstairs to her room. In short order, she had the basic necessities packed in a traveling bag and a sleepy Togepi cradled in her arms. She visited the tank where all the Pokémon were kept and immediately withdrew them all into their Pokéballs, placing the capsules in her bag.

When she made it outside, the man was standing with his back to the gym, just looking in the direction of the sun. Misty locked the entrance to her home and approached him. "I'm ready."

"Good. I don't suppose you have any sort of flying Pokémon, do you?"

"Um, well Gyarados is part Flying-type, but I don't think that's what you mean."

Her companion gave her a wry smile. "No, not quite. I'm going to suggest investing in one. In fact, Hoenn has one that should be just perfect for you." He eyed Togepi. "I wouldn't recommend taking certain Pokémon with you."

"No, I…I know. I'm only going to take a couple with me. I just…could you take the rest to Professor Oak for me after we reach Indigo Plateau? I have a friend there who should be willing to take care of Togepi and the others."

This time, the smile that crossed the man's face was a bit more genuine. "That's the least I can do for you, I think. I'll be sure to let your friend and the good Professor know what's going on so they don't worry."

"Thanks."

He nodded as he reached for his belt and withdrew a Pokéball. In a flash of light, a rather large Pokémon stood before them. He climbed on the Pokémon's back and held out a hand to Misty; she took it and settled in behind him. "Hold tight," he warned, and then they were airborne.

Misty didn't look back.

-l-l-l-

Ash raced around the Weather Institute, looking for more members of Team Aqua to neutralize. The less grunts his friends had to deal with, the more likely it was that they could protect Castform, and by extension, any information held on the computers. To Ash, it just felt like any other day, foiling evil-doers and protecting the innocent.

The echoing of indistinguishable voices made its way to the raven-haired trainer's ears, and Ash increased his pace down the hallway, Pikachu bounding forward right next to him. His path ended in a T-intersection not far ahead, and just as he was trying to decide which way to turn when he reached it, one of the voices spoke up. This time, he was close enough to hear what the speaker had to say, but the familiarity of the voice caused him to skid to a halt. He had spent _years_ being berated by that very same tone, often when the speaker was frustrated or exasperated, but there was absolutely _no reason_ for that person to be here, in Hoenn, working in conjunction with Team Aqua.

Shaking his head to assure himself that he was merely hallucinating, he went left at the intersection and froze.

It didn't take much to surprise Ash Ketchum. Even after years of being followed around by Team Rocket, all it took was a costume change and a phony story about winning some contest for him to be fooled. Not that the trio of would-be thieves were very competent at keeping their prize (Pikachu, and sometimes his other Pokémon), but the point remained that Ash was quite susceptible to being caught unaware.

Still, when he was normally surprised, he recovered quickly, often firing off a quick comeback or attempting some sort of escape from whatever pitfall he was in. Being stunned into speechlessness was rather unusual.

Yet that was the situation he found himself in.

His mouth worked wordlessly for a long moment as his brain tried to comprehend what his eyes were telling him. Finally, he managed to gasp, "_Misty?_" The pair of Team Aqua agents standing before him whirled around at the voice, and Misty's blue-green eyes widened in shock. Only two thoughts came to mind at the confirmation that Misty was indeed in the Weather Institute. The first was the buzzing question of what his best friend, who should have been tending to the Cerulean City Gym far away in Kanto, was doing in Hoenn, working for the enemy.

The second was that, ignoring the entire situation and the jumble of questions Ash wasn't even sure he knew how to ask, Misty looked…cute.

She was dressed in the typical garb of Team Aqua: a black- and white- horizontally-striped short-sleeved shirt that hugged her developing bosom and left her midriff bare, and blue pants with a design of white rings on the side of each leg. Black gloves adorned her hands, and a blue bandana with crossbones designed to look like an 'A' topped her head, allowing the uneven bangs of her ginger hair to peek out.

Misty had never really gone out of her way to look feminine during their travels together, but clothed as she was in an outfit designed for females, and with her trademark ponytail clearly absent, it was hard for Ash to not notice that she was clearly very pretty. The realization was a disturbing one in context, if only because there should have never been any way for the current situation to take place. Ash was sure that he shouldn't like the idea of Misty looking good dressed as a member of a criminal organization.

The multitude of conflicting and confusing emotions was the only thing that prompted Ash to continue speaking. "Misty, I don't understand. What are you doing?"

A strange smirk twisted her features; apparently the shock of seeing him in the Weather Institute had worn off. "Sorry, kid, I think you're confusing me with someone else. Go find that Castform," she directed at her partner. "I'll hold him off." The male Team Aqua member nodded and ran off. Ash was torn between letting him go so he could get answers from his best friend, and chasing him down to continue his mission to protect Castform.

His decision was made for him when Misty threw out a Pokéball and commanded the released Corsola to use Spike Cannon. Only battle instinct had Ash unleashing Corphish with the order to use Harden; the glowing needles of Spike Cannon clattered uselessly against the crustacean's reinforced carapace. "Answer me, Misty!" he shouted, now angry as well as confused. "What are you doing here? Why are you working for Team Aqua?"

"Shut up, kid, you're getting on my nerves." Ash clenched his fists at how cold she sounded, pretending that their friendship didn't even exist. "Corsola, BubbleBeam!"

"Corphish, you use your BubbleBeam, too!"

The attacks collided in the hallway, and Ash used the moment of distraction and ensuing haze to run at Misty in a burst of speed. He grabbed her by the shoulders, pulling her so close that their noses were practically touching. "What's wrong with you?" he whispered.

Misty's blue-green eyes remained hard for a long moment, staring into Ash's brown ones with startling intensity, and then they softened. "Damn," she murmured, "honestly didn't think this would happen."

Ash's grip on her loosened, allowing Misty to recall Corsola silently. "Misty…" he breathed.

Suddenly, her gaze was serious again, though it lacked the uncaring quality from before. "Knock me out."

"Wh-what? I don't –"

"We don't have time for this!" she hissed. "You have to knock me out so you can save Castform. Do it!" she urged when he visibly hesitated.

Ash exchanged a look with Pikachu, whose ears were down in a combination of sadness and miscomprehension. He returned his attention to Misty, searching her face for some clue as to what was going on. Finding only resolve on her features, he looked down again to find Corphish at his side, blinking in confusion. "Corphish, use Crabhammer," he muttered dispiritedly. Even if he didn't understand the situation, he did trust Misty, no matter how strange her request seemed.

The crustacean blinked again. "Cor?"

"Yeah…"

"Ash," Misty said as Corphish's right claw took on a white glow, "you can't tell_ anyone_ about me." The raven-haired trainer hesitated again, but then nodded slowly. "Good. Now, go rescue Castform."

Ash turned away as Corphish jumped up and launched his attack at the back of Misty's head. She grunted when it connected, and Ash winced at the sound of her body slumping to the floor. "C'mon," he muttered to his two Pokémon after a moment, "you guys heard her."

He ran down the hallway with his two Pokémon at his side and came across Castform shortly thereafter. Scooping the diminutive creature into his arms, Ash carried it around until he ran across his friends. Ash only paid half a mind to May's reprimands as the Castform in his arms turned into a Ditto and leaped into Millie's waiting hold.

"Hey, there's the key card! Let's grab it!"

"Not if I can help it," Ash whispered, turning around to face a newly approaching Team Aqua duo. "Pikachu, Thunderbolt!" Lightning lanced into the would-be thieves, knocking them out and allowing Ash to rush his friends out of the Weather Institute.

Unfortunately, the entire effort ended up being a bust when the Weather Institute scientist they had thought was Millie revealed herself to be Brodie, a _male_ member of Team Magma who managed to escape with the data they'd been trying to protect. The failure to protect the data at the Weather Institute, in combination with the whole Misty fiasco, left Ash in a rather downtrodden state of mind.

He wasn't sure what was going on, and the confusion was causing his mood to be rather mercurial as he and his friends continued their journey to Fortree City. Part of the problem stemmed from the loss of the data at the Weather Institute. The knowledge that he and his friends had been bested by a member of Team Magma stung something fierce, especially after Misty had _specifically_ told him to go rescue Castform and protect the computer data. She had even given him the opportunity to do so by allowing herself to be knocked unconscious.

Thinking of his red-haired best friend brought him to the other issue: Misty herself.

There had been no explanation for her behavior, how it had flipped from cool animosity to remembered familiarity; even her temper on the worst of days in Kanto, Johto, or the Orange Islands had never caused a mood swing like that before. And if she was in Hoenn, why hadn't she told him? They could've met up, traveled together just like before…before she had been recalled to the gym. What if something bad had happened to the Cerulean Gym? Had Misty's sisters changed their minds about their trip? Better yet, why had she prohibited him from telling anyone he had run into her? He had agreed to that last-minute addendum more because he didn't want to sully her memory by telling Brock she was working for Team Aqua than due to any sort of understanding of her request.

Misty's actions were a mystery, and Ash was both worried about her and annoyed at her for being so obtuse.

In a far corner of his mind, Ash recognized that he was also slightly irked at himself for finding Misty attractive, especially in the outfit of Team Aqua. It wasn't necessarily his fault, given that he was a 16-year-old male subject to the whims of his recently-discovered hormones, but now that the idea had been planted, it wouldn't leave him alone. Misty was the only girl his age he had been around for a long period of time, who he could appreciate for her personality and Pokémon prowess, and who had no compunctions about putting him in his place when he got overconfident (May was a couple years younger than him and a bit too girly in comparison to the redhead).

He shook his head in an attempt to rid himself of the thought and image of Misty. He wasn't even sure where their friendship was at the moment, given what had happened at the Weather Institute; trying to analyze whatever feelings of infatuation may have cropped up because of those events was a bit premature, and perhaps a tad overwhelming for a mind unused to the field of romantic interest.

Still, despite his effort, thoughts of his best friend continued to plague him the rest of the way to Fortree City, and even throughout his gym battle against Winona. Despite managing a win against the Flying-type specialist, Ash remained pensive during the successive trek back to the Pokémon Center. Brock dropped back to draw even with his friend, allowing May and Max to take the lead, and asked lowly, "Is something bothering you?"

"No," he replied, trying to muster some shred of his usual enthusiasm, "I'm fine." Misty's words about not telling anyone about her echoed in his head again, and Ash, if nothing else, was a man of his word. Brock offered him a skeptical raise of his eyebrow, but didn't bring up the subject again.

Suddenly, a high-pitched trill sounded out from above, causing the small party to look up. A Wingull circled overhead, seemingly looking for a place to land; it glided down and perched atop Ash's hat, all eyes following its path. The raven-haired trainer frowned. "Shoo, shoo," he tried amidst May's giggles.

"That doesn't look like it's working," Brock observed.

"Wingull!" cried the bird. A slip of paper fell from its beak, and as Ash bent down to pick it up, the Seagull Pokémon spread its wings and took off.

"Well, that was unusual," Max stated, watching the bird depart. He turned his gaze to Ash. "Hey, Ash, what's that in your hand?"

The raven-haired trainer didn't respond immediately; he had already picked up and unfolded the note. Scrawled across it were several sentences in Misty's familiar handwriting:

_Sorry about what happened the other day. You know how I can sometimes fly into a Rage. If you want more information, talk to the friend we went to the Lake with._

_-M._

"Ash? Ash!"

"Huh?"

May sighed, exasperated. "What's the note say, Ash?"

"Oh, uh…nothing. Looks like a shopping list or something." He chuckled awkwardly and pocketed the note.

"Right," Max drawled, unconvinced. "Anyway, we should probably continue on to the Pokémon Center."

"Sure," Ash replied, distracted.

He had just received his first clue as to what was going on with Misty, and he was going to figure it out, no matter what it took.


	2. Chapter 2

Ash sat at the table in his and Brock's room in the Pokémon Center, the note from Misty unfolded before him. He had already read through the few sentences his friend had scrawled several times, but his mind hadn't really focused on the words, too distracted by the slightest evidence confirming his friend wasn't actually evil. His Pokémon were still being tended to by Nurse Joy, and Brock had taken May and Max out to get supplies for their departure from Fortree City the next morning, leaving him in solitude.

Shaking his head to return his attention to the task at hand, Ash's brown eyes focused intently upon the note, reading over each word carefully. It was written very innocuously, as if every word was chosen with care to make sure nothing revealing could be interpreted from it. That was incredibly frustrating, given that he was not the most intellectually gifted individual. Sure, when it came to Pokémon battles, Ash could pull impressive maneuvers and off-the-wall strategies out of his hat, but that was different from being smart in an educated sense.

He paused at that thought, a little discouraged at the self-deprecation, but also aware that such a personality quirk was very telling. Misty should have been well aware of that characteristic, given how often she had called him dense, or an idiot, or some variation during their travels together. Running with the implications of that idea, the raven-haired trainer realized that whatever message was hidden in the note would actually be relatively obvious, but would only mean something to _him_.

Ash grabbed a pencil and tapped the eraser against the table as his eyes scanned the note with renewed determination. This time, he realized the word 'rage' had been capitalized in the middle of the sentence; the tapping stopped, and Ash underlined the word thoughtfully. It was a little disturbing to discover that he had overlooked such an obvious clue, but then again, he had never really been known for his insight. Now that he was looking, 'lake' had also been written with a capital letter; that was also underlined, and Ash read through the note once more before concluding that there wasn't anything else he was overlooking.

The words didn't mean much to him at first glance. _'Rage Lake',_ he pondered, wracking his brain. Somehow, that sounded kind of familiar, though he couldn't quite place why. It was probably a place they had visited during their journey throughout either Kanto or Johto (as the Orange Islands were, well, islands, lakes were probably a bit sparse), but Ash's memory had never been topnotch, and there had been _a lot_ of adventures over the years. On top of all that, Brock had normally been the one in charge of the map, given Ash's propensity for getting lost whenever he had control of it.

Fortunately, Brock chose that moment to walk into their room, a brown bag full of supplies from the PokéMart in his arms. "Brock!" Ash exclaimed, pushing back his chair so he could stand so hastily that it toppled over onto its side.

The older male jumped slightly, startled by Ash's sudden outcry. "Yeah?" he replied, placing his cargo down on the bed and turning to face his friend.

Ash was fidgeting, shifting his weight from one leg to the other. "You don't happen to still have the guidebooks from when we traveled in the other regions, do you?"

"Well, yes, but why –"

"Can I see them?"

Brock raised an eyebrow. Ash had never before displayed such an interest in anything pertaining to where they were going, barring whether or not the next city had a gym. Even if he _was_ interested in the geographical or cultural information presented in the guidebooks, it would be far more prudent to look over the data given in the Hoenn one, not Kanto or Johto. "Sure," he replied slowly, suspicious. He moved over to his bag and rummaged through it, coming up with the two references Ash had asked for after a few moments.

The raven-haired boy held out his hands eagerly, nervous energy present in the way he bounced on the balls of his feet. Brock started to hand over the books, but just as Ash reached for them, he pulled them away and out of reach. "Are you going to tell me what you want these for?"

"Brock!" protested the younger boy.

"Ash, I've known you for a long time now, and subtlety isn't one of your strong points. You've been acting strange ever since we left the Weather Institute, and you barely paid attention to your gym battle against Winona. But then you got that note from that Wingull, and you got that look on your face…that one you get when you're determined to do something. Now you're asking me for our old travel guides and you just expect me to not be concerned? Did something happen at the Weather Institute?"

Ash opened his mouth to respond but then closed it. Now that he finally felt he had a breakthrough, Brock's help would be rather useful, especially since the older male had a far better memory than he did. But Misty's words kept coming back to him, telling him not to reveal that she had been in the Weather Institute, working for Team Aqua, and anything he wanted to say just stuck in his throat. "I…I can't say," he admitted quietly, averting his gaze. Then he turned solemn brown eyes on his friend. "Please, Brock…just let me borrow the books."

Brock fixed his friend with a hard look for a long moment. The younger boy had never quite looked so…defeated. He sighed. "You know that you can tell me anything, right?"

"…I know. I just…can't this time. I would if I could…honestly…"

He placed the guidebooks in Ash's hands. "Let me know if you need any help."

Ash's face softened into something a little brighter. "I will. Thanks, Brock."

The older male waved it off. "I'm going to go visit May and Max. I'll be back in a little bit."

Ash nodded absently, already seated back in his (now upright) chair with the books set on the desk. Brock shook his head and left, closing the door quietly so as to not disturb his friend's activities. It didn't matter too much; Ash was engrossed in his task.

He grabbed the Johto guidebook and flipped to the back, vaguely recalling Brock mention once that most reference books had an index of places and annual activities in the back. Given that he was slightly more familiar with locations in Kanto (since he was from there) and that there weren't many lakes he could think of off the top of his head, Johto seemed like a good place to start. He was proven successful when a brief skim through the 'L's revealed a 'Lake of Rage'; noting the page number it was mentioned on, he turned towards it and began reading.

There wasn't much information on it, though Ash was more interested in its location than its history as that was more likely to trigger a memory. The image pictured in the guidebook looked mildly familiar, and its location north of Mahogany Town gave the raven-haired boy a firmer landmark to recall. Flipping to the previous page, he skimmed the contents of the entry on Mahogany Town, noting the reference to Pryce, user of Ice-types and leader of the Mahogany Gym.

Ash remembered that battle, the intense final fight pitting Pikachu against Piloswine. And before that…

_Oh!_ he realized, snapping his fingers. The Lake of Rage was where Team Rocket had been performing experiments forcing Pokémon to evolve. There had been a red Gyarados that Lance had eventually captured, and…

He immediately closed the guidebook and looked back at the note Misty had sent him. _'If you want more information, talk to the friend we went to the Lake with.'_ The only people who had been at the Lake of Rage aside from him and Misty that could be considered friends (he highly doubted the Team Rocket trio counted) were Brock and Lance. Since Brock _obviously_ didn't know anything about what was going on, Lance must have been the person Misty was alluding to.

Ash mentally congratulated himself for his sleuthing skills before he was hit with the sudden question of how to get in contact with Lance. The man was the Champion of the Kanto Elite Four, and was undoubtedly very busy; hoping a simple phone call would reach him seemed unrealistic. If he went to see Lance in person, though…well, Ash's stubbornness was more likely to draw out the desired results face-to-face.

_I have to go to Indigo Plateau,_ he realized.

He froze in his seat at the idea. Indigo Plateau was in Kanto…a far distance away from his current position. Plus, he was in the middle of trying to qualify for entrance into the Ever Grande Conference, and was only two badges away to boot. There was no telling how long it would take to actually _reach_ Indigo Plateau, let alone if Lance was there and capable of receiving him. Was it really worth risking his dream for the opportunity to find out what was going on with Misty?

_Yes_, he decided. It was only slightly surprising to know that, after considering everything, he wasn't hesitating in following through with his choice. Misty was more important to him than a title he could return to vying for after he spoke with Lance.

The implications of that knowledge were consciously ignored.

Brock's return to the room threw off his introspection. "Hey, Ash, it's getting pretty late, maybe you should – hey, where're you going?!" he shouted as his friend rushed past him and down the hall. The older male rubbed the back of his head in confusion. "Man, what's gotten into him lately?"

Ash returned 15 minutes later as Brock was getting ready to go to bed. "Sorry, had to make a phone call."

"At this time of night?"

"Yeah, urgent…couldn't wait." He paused and took a deep breath before saying, "I'm not going with you in the morning."

Brock stared at him. "What?"

"I'm not going with you," Ash repeated. "Something came up that I need to take care of, and…" he sighed. "Look, can you just trust me on this? It's too hard to explain, and…I kinda promised that I wouldn't say anything."

"Ash, I do trust you…mostly because you suck at lying," Brock tacked on, "but you're acting really weird. And if you say that you have something to do that will prevent you from traveling with us, and that you can't tell me about it, then I believe you." He leaned forward slightly to fix Ash with an intense gaze. "But are you _absolutely sure_ that this is what you want to do?"

The younger trainer almost broke under Brock's scrutiny. It was hard to not want to spill everything to one of his best friends – especially since it involved their _other_ best friend – when said friend was being so understanding, but Ash was a man of his word. "Sorry," he whispered, "this is something I need to do alone. You should continue on with May and Max so May can enter the Grand Festival. I'll meet up with you guys eventually."

Brock was silent for a long time. Finally, he nodded and said, "Fine. Good luck with whatever you're doing. And just remember that if you ever need anything –"

Ash offered his friend a small grin. "Yeah, I know. Thanks."

-l-l-l-

When everyone woke the next morning, Ash offered his friends his condolences on not being able to continue on with them, promised to meet up at some point, and wished May luck with her future contests. He watched them go with more relief than sorrow, grateful that – with the exception of Brock the previous night – they hadn't pushed too hard for an explanation of why he was staying behind. Pikachu was rather confused at the separation, but after Ash explained everything to his first Pokémon, the small rodent was quick to accept the circumstances. Ash made a call to the main offices of the Kanto Pokémon League in the vain hope that he would catch Lance, but when the woman who answered said that he would be out for several days, Ash knew he had made the right decision.

It took another couple days before Ash could leave Fortree City, primarily because his mode of transportation hadn't yet arrived. When a familiar roar split the skies of Route 119 where Ash was training Grovyle with his Leaf Blade (right on the outskirts of the town), he grinned. Soon enough, Charizard descended to greet his former trainer with a friendly Flamethrower to the face. "It's good to see you, too, buddy," Ash greeted. "You look like you've gotten a lot stronger." Charizard roared and flexed his wings as if to accentuate Ash's point. The trainer recalled a startled-but-recovering Grovyle into his Pokéball and turned back to the large dragon. "Sorry that you can't really rest, but we need to hurry. Are you good to go?" At the creature's nod, Ash hefted a leg over the leathery back and seated himself behind his friend's wings; Pikachu jumped up to settle in Ash's lap. "Let's go, south to Slateport!"

They took off, and soon Fortree City was just a dot in the distance.

-l-l-l-

Almost two weeks later, Ash found himself standing in the atrium of one of the prestigious buildings that marked Indigo Plateau as being the home of Kanto's (and Johto's) Pokémon League Administration. To the young trainer, the trip had seemed longer than it should have been, but without Charizard – who had gotten to Slateport City in a couple of days, relaxed for a week on the ship from Slateport to Vermillion City, and then taken another several days to fly to Indigo Plateau from Vermillion – Ash knew it would have taken several times longer. The Fire/Flying hybrid was now taking a well-deserved rest while Ash went to have a discussion with Lance.

"I'd like to speak to Champion Lance," he told the secretary in as polite a tone as he could manage, considering his impatience.

"Do you have an appointment?"

"No, I…" he trailed off, wondering why he hadn't really thought that far ahead. Lance was an important figure, and in his desperation to actually reach Indigo Plateau as quickly as possible, he hadn't considered the possibility that he'd have to _arrange_ to meet with the man. "Please, this is very important."

The woman behind the desk tilted her head down so she could spare him a wry glance over her glasses. "Young man, Master Lance is the League Champion. He deals with all sorts of important matters. What makes yours so much more significant that it would preclude you from requiring an appointment?"

Ash's jaw snapped shut with an audible clacking of teeth. He wanted to scream that he didn't _know_ what was so damn important that Misty had to work for Team Aqua and that's what he was there to find out, but that strategy didn't sound like it would really get him anywhere. "When's his next available appointment?" he gritted out.

The secretary turned to her computer and typed something in. "Master Lance will be free in three weeks' time. Should I schedule you in?"

"No!" he shouted, aggravated. Ash needed answers sooner rather than later, and waiting several weeks was beyond what his dwindling patience would allow. Deciding to make a break for it, the young trainer dashed past the front desk and headed for the elevator bay. His movement was halted suddenly by two burly security guards grabbing one arm each. "Let me go! I need to see Lance! Let me go!"

Heads began to poke out of offices at the ruckus as Ash was dragged to the exit. Pikachu, on the floor by the secretary's desk, had his ears down in a gesture of embarrassment and uncertainty – people were gripping his trainer and he wanted to help, but they weren't bad guys like Team Rocket, so zapping them was not the solution.

Fortunately for Ash, one of the elevator doors opened up and out stepped Lance himself. He looked startled at the commotion occurring in the atrium, but the expression was quickly replaced by a resigned smile. "Gentlemen, you can put him down," he assured the security guards.

"But sir –"

"It's fine." He tossed Ash a wry grin. "I've been expecting Mr. Ketchum for some time now. Please, if you'll make sure our meeting is uninterrupted, I'd appreciate it," he directed at the secretary.

She inclined her head. "Of course, Master Lance."

He gestured towards the elevator bay. "Ash, if you'll follow me." The raven-haired trainer resisted throwing a smug look (or sticking his tongue out) at the security personnel and secretary as he followed the taller male first into an elevator and then into a rather spacious office. Lance sat down behind his desk and gestured towards a chair in front of it. "Please, have a seat."

Pikachu jumped into one of the chairs, but Ash remained standing. "Why is Misty working for Team Aqua?" he demanded.

Lance was offering Pikachu some sort of Pokémon treat from a tin on his desk. "Can I get you something to drink?" he asked instead.

Ash's palm slammed against the desk. "I want you to answer my question!"

The Champion's brown eyes turned stern. "I'm going to ask you to calm down." Under the intense gaze of the imposing man, Ash took several deep breaths to control his irritation. "Good. Now please, have a seat." Ash hesitated for a moment, but finally decided that if he was going to get Lance to cooperate, obeying him was probably a good idea. "You're sure that you don't want anything?"

Ash shook his head. "No, I'm fine. Thank you," he added as an afterthought. Then something occurred to him. "You told that lady that you'd been expecting me. How'd you know I was coming?"

Lance opened a drawer and pulled out a sheet of paper, which he handed to the younger boy. "The same way you knew to come to me."

Brown eyes skimmed the short, typewritten note, which was a message saying that Misty had run into Ash on Team Aqua's latest mission, and that she had directed him toward Lance for any questions he had. Ash looked up and frowned. "This is typed out. And it's not…confusing. How come Misty didn't write to me like this?"

The League Champion plucked the paper from Ash's fingers and put it back into the drawer. "The original message was scanned to me from our base in Hoenn. Most of the time, the operatives there are able to translate it before they send it to me, but the unfamiliar references Misty made forced them to forward it to me directly. I composed the message you just saw myself, based on what she wrote."

"You make it sound like Misty's working for you."

"She is." When Ash's confused expression didn't change, Lance laced his fingers together and rested his chin on his knuckles. "Ash, I don't know if you remember this, but I'm part of an organization known as the Pokémon G-Men. Our goal is prevent the misuse and mistreatment of Pokémon; specifically, we want to stop people from using Pokémon to commit crimes that would put others in danger."

"I remember that you came to the Lake of Rage because of Team Rocket," Ash recalled slowly.

Lance nodded. "Yes, that was one of the situations that I had to step in and put an end to. Well, in Hoenn, Team Aqua and Team Magma are looking to do something similar, or potentially worse. Team Aqua is looking to use the legendary Pokémon Kyogre to expand the seas, supposedly for the benefit of mankind. Team Magma is looking to do something similar with the legendary Pokémon Groudon."

"If you know all this, then why is Misty working for Team Aqua?" Ash interjected.

"Ash, Misty is the reason we know all this. About nine months ago, I asked Misty if she would serve as a spy for the G-Men by infiltrating Team Aqua. She's been passing me information through a base in Hoenn about their movements, goals, plans…anything she thinks might be useful. It's allowing us to remain aware of their actions so that we can strike back when the time is right."

Ash stood up, expression angry. "How could you put her in that kind of danger? What if something happens to her?"

Lance also rose to his feet, and his added height and stern countenance made him a rather imposing figure. "I didn't make such a decision lightly. Even now, I get concerns and reprimands about sending a teenage girl into the middle of a crime syndicate as powerful as Team Aqua. But Misty was the best choice for the job, and I didn't force her into undertaking this task." He took a deep breath and returned to his seat. "This decision was not made lightly, and I made sure that Misty was well-aware of what would be expected of her. It was her call, and she chose to go."

"Then let me go undercover, too."

"No. Misty was picked specifically because Team Aqua is a water-themed organization and she could blend in easily without raising much suspicion. Tell me, how many Water Pokémon do _you_ have?"

The raven-haired trainer tallied the number mentally: Kingler, Totodile, and Corphish. "Er…"

Lance offered him a knowing grin. "Exactly." He stood up and gestured to the door. "Now that I've answered your questions, I believe it goes without saying that you should keep this information to yourself, especially if you plan on returning to Hoenn. Try to avoid getting involved in Team Aqua's or Team Magma's affairs…I'd prefer it if you could refrain from blowing Misty's cover, and the less contact you have with them, the better."

"Wait!"

The League Champion raised an eyebrow at Ash's desperate request. Ash himself appeared at a loss as to how to follow up his shout. "I, uh…"

It had been an impulse really, a grasping-at-straws attempt to get Lance to change his mind or…something. All he could think of was Misty in the clutches of Team Aqua, and him unable to save one of his best friends, doing nothing to help. He hated feeling useless, but more than that, he wanted to know that he could do something to get Misty away from the evil organization as quickly as possible. His mind suddenly latched onto a ludicrous idea, and before he could even consider what he was saying, he squared himself before Lance and said, "If you don't need someone else to go undercover in Team Aqua, then let me go be a spy in Team Magma."

"Ash, I just told you that I'm getting plenty of heat for using one teenager as a spy," Lance stated. "Why would I endorse using _another _one?"

Thinking quickly, Ash posed, "Well…don't you need information on what Team Magma's doing?"

Lance returned to his seat. It was true that they had yet to get any solid intelligence on Team Magma's movements aside from the basics. Most of his forces were dealing with other issues – a resurgence in Team Rocket's activities in the Sevii Islands, not to mention some new organization trying to get a foothold in Sinnoh – and thus were unable to devote time to researching the land-based syndicate's activities. He had been on the verge of going undercover himself as a Team Magma operative (his station be damned), but if someone else took his place, he could better coordinate the actions of both spies. _My colleagues are going to ream me for this…_ "Hypothetically," he began slowly, "if I were to agree to this…proposal, you would need to blend in with Team Magma's members in every way: personality, actions, Pokémon, etc. They primarily use Fire-, Ground-, and Dark-types; do you have a team?"

Ash thought about it. "I have Cyndaquil, Charizard, Phanpy, and Torkoal."

"Hmm…Torkoal is a good region-native Pokémon unlikely to garner suspicion, and Charizard should be powerful enough to get you out of any trouble, if required. Do you have a Pokémon that can pass on messages?"

The raven-haired teen reached for his belt and snapped open a Pokéball. Swellow appeared in a flash of light, claws gripping the back of the chair Pikachu was in. "Another Hoenn-based Pokémon," Lance noticed. "Yes, that would do fine. Now, have you had any contact with members of Team Magma before?"

Ash shrugged unsurely. "Kind of? But I don't think they'll remember me."

"No, probably not, especially with the hood covering your hair." The taller man's eyes darted over to Pikachu. "You'll have to leave your Pikachu behind. Even if we can disguise your appearance, walking around with him on your shoulder is too big a giveaway for your identity."

Ash hesitated for a long moment before finally nodding. Pikachu whined a noise of protest that caused his trainer to shoot him an apologetic look. "Sorry, buddy, but I've gotta do this…for Misty." The electric rodent made a small noise of understanding, but still didn't look pleased at being left behind. "So I can do it?"

"Not yet." Lance's gaze turned steely, and the younger male gulped slightly, intimidated. "Let me be perfectly clear. As a member of Team Magma, you might be forced to partake in activities that don't fall within legal bounds, but to retain your cover, you must obey _all orders_ you're given, no matter what they may be. If you have an opportunity to sabotage Team Magma's operation without being implicated, then you should go ahead and do so, but _only_ if you're certain you can get away with it. There are many things that you might be asked to do that you're uncomfortable with, or which may break your personal code of ethics, but you _have_ to do them. Do you understand what I'm telling you? If you're uncomfortable with any of these things, or don't think you have the capacity to carry them out, then you need to say so right now."

"I…" he trailed off, unsure of what to say. Lying was not one of his strong suits, and he had a pretty strong sense of right and wrong. The idea of violating his moral code was a difficult one to swallow, and not something he was sure he could do easily, if at all.

Suddenly, the image of Misty dressed in Team Aqua's uniform, ordering him to knock her unconscious, floated to mind. She had done what she had to in order to try and protect Castform – to go against Team Aqua's mission – and even though he hadn't liked doing it, he had still done what was necessary by following her instructions. He steeled his resolve. _If Misty can do it, so can I. She can't do this all by herself. I won't _let _her do this by herself._ "I understand. I'll do it."

Lance fixed him with a searching gaze, analyzing him. Even though he had only met Ash once, he knew that the boy was very morally driven. Doing what he was asking would be a struggle for the teen, but if Ash was confident that he could do it, then perhaps he could learn something about himself in the process. He would need every scrap of his wits about him in order to come out of Team Magma's organization intact. The League Champion internally debated the wisdom of allowing another child to become involved with a criminal organization, and could only find himself praying that Ash's decision to go undercover wouldn't change his worldview too drastically.

"Very well," Lance said, trying not to focus on the way his stomach churned, "you're in."

-l-l-l-

**Author's Note:** Thanks to the few of you who decided to review and give this story a chance! I normally don't reply to people individually, but I can if that's what you'd like. Due to Hurricane Sandy and a generator a friend of mine had, I managed to finish this chapter surprisingly quick. I'm also discovering that I rather like writing a teenage/maturing Ash as opposed to the adult version of him from "Journey of Legends". He's more...predictable, and fun.

Anyway, next chapter we'll dip into the lives of our heroes in the undercover world. Feel free to let me know what you thought of this installment.


	3. Chapter 3

Misty held out her arm as Wingull glided down, granting the Water/Flying hybrid a perch to rest on. The Seagull Pokémon trilled as he wrapped his feet around his trainer's limb, finally returned from delivering the latest missive to the G-Men's Decryption Squad in Hoenn. Misty stroked the white feathers of his head silently, surveying the landscape.

Lilycove City was really quite beautiful, with grandiose buildings boasting lush accommodations for travelers. Misty had only been able to enjoy the view from the coves the city had been named for, which Team Aqua had overtaken and transformed into its headquarters some time before Misty had infiltrated the organization. She sighed wistfully. Perhaps when all was said and done, she could enjoy a little time off in the seaside town, maybe with Ash…

She shook off that thought as quickly as it popped up. Fantasizing about a vacation after her little espionage mission ended was one thing; indulging in a childhood daydream involving the best friend she had a crush on was something else entirely.

Misty wasn't sure whether she blamed Ash or herself for her recent lapses in concentration, though she knew it would be easier to lay all fault with her raven-haired friend. Unfortunately, that would've been unfair, and the redhead had become used to thinking of things from an objective viewpoint. It was the only way to justify all the things she had done working for Team Aqua, operating under the belief that what she was doing would eventually lead to the organization's downfall.

Logically, she had always known there was a chance that she would run into Ash while in Hoenn. That opportunity, while slim, had been higher than running into the average person given Ash's propensity for finding trouble and his moral sense to do the right thing (which others might consider meddling in business which didn't concern him). Every time she had been sent out on a mission, there had always been the niggling apprehension of finding him on the opposite side of the fence, his brown eyes wide with recognition and betrayal.

The actuality had been far more painful than she had imagined. Only the knowledge that her cover needed to remain intact had allowed her to continue acting the part of a Team Aqua grunt. It had pushed her into making the decision she had at the Weather Institute, even as she had known that Ash wouldn't let the matter drop with her unconscious body. His care for his friends was one of Ash's many good traits – one of the characteristics she admired about him, in fact – though in that particular instance, it would certainly be more of a hindrance to her position than a boon.

So she had given him a direction to pursue before he started to cause her problems, sending him to Lance for an explanation while warning the Champion to look out for her friend. A meeting with Lance would hopefully sate Ash's curiosity, leaving her to her mission without having to worry about his interference.

Besides, she thought, recalling Wingull and entering the base, her destination her room, it wasn't like Ash could actually do anything to influence what was happening in Hoenn anyway. While he had a tendency to help out if he had the capacity to, his goal of participating in the Ever Grande Conference would take priority over going out of his way to attempt to take down a crime syndicate he knew nothing about.

She reached her room and slipped inside it. Thanks to the vast network of coves, the size of Team Aqua's headquarters was large enough that the rooms for all the members were relatively comfortable. They were a little smaller than the average room at a Pokémon Center, possessing a twin-size bed, a dresser with three drawers for clothes, and a desk with a small lamp on it. There was space for any homey embellishments that the occupant wanted to add, though Misty made sure to keep her room bare of anything that might give away who she was.

Lying down on her bed, Misty laced her fingers together behind her head and thought back on her time working for Team Aqua. She would've liked to believe that she hadn't changed since becoming an undercover criminal, but that would've been a lie. Some of the things that she had done…she shuddered a little at the thought. Team Aqua was less prone to violence than, say, Team Rocket, but that was relative given their ultimate goals. Still, while the water-themed organization tended to not put the average person in harm's way, it also did what it had to in order to accomplish its objective.

The memory of the last mission she had been on came to mind, unbidden and unwanted.

_Haze pervaded the summit of Mt. Pyre, making it appear as if its entirety was shrouded in mystery. The thick fog made Hoenn's memorial to the departed appear even spookier and more eerie than would be considered normal for a cemetery. The luminescent eyes of Duskull and Shuppet peering out from the shadows at the invading Team Aqua only added to the sense of wrongness Misty felt at disturbing the resting grounds of the deceased._

_Standing nearby were four other Team Aqua grunts and Shelly, the Tactical Commander for Team Aqua. The right hand agent of the criminal organization had red eyes and bushy, raspberry-colored hair, and was currently smirking down at the elderly couple who overlooked Mt. Pyre. Shelly's Crawdaunt stood beside them, clacking its pincers in a show of intimidation. "Where is the artifact?" Shelly asked._

"_Please," begged the elderly man, "we don't know what it is you want. This is a sacred location –"_

"_Yes, the final resting place of departed Pokémon, I'm aware," Shelly cut in. "It is also a very spiritual place, and every lead we've tracked has led us here. So, I'll ask again…" She leaned down so their eyes were on the same level. "Where is the Red Orb?"_

_Misty wasn't sure whether the silence that greeted Shelly's question was borne of fear or stubbornness, but she wished that the elderly couple would just give the woman what she was asking for. When neither person responded, Shelly turned to Misty and bobbed her head curtly._

_Internally, Misty cringed a little at what was about to happen, though her outward appearance remained stoic. "Staryu, use Rapid Spin," she commanded, keeping her voice flat. The Star Shape Pokémon – standing vigil beside her leg – flipped onto its back and hovered in place momentarily by revolving around its core before cutting through the air. It crashed through the nearest row of headstones, breaking them and scattering stone across the sparse grass._

"_What are you doing?!" cried the old woman._

"_Please, stop this!" her husband echoed._

"_There is a simple way to get her to stop," Shelly said. "Tell me what I want to know."_

"_You're desecrating sacred property," pleaded the old man. "Don't you have a heart?"_

"_Team Aqua will do whatever is needed in order to achieve our leader's vision."_

_Shelly motioned to Misty to continue her destruction; Staryu was part of the way through another row of grave markers before the elderly woman shouted for her to stop. "Please…please stop…"_

"_The Red Orb," Shelly prodded._

_When the older woman hesitated, Shelly raised a hand in signal for Misty, but then she began speaking. "The orbs were here…we sent them away when we heard rumor of people who would use them for evil."_

_Shelly raised one pencil-thin eyebrow. "And its current location?"_

"_The Mossdeep Space Center," she whispered. "Now please…please leave this place."_

_The Team Aqua Tactical Commander nodded. "Yes, let's. Keep in mind," she added as they walked out, "that if I find out you lied, we will return…and we won't be nearly as nice."_

After that, Misty had sent Wingull out to Hoenn's Decryption Squad with a vague reference to Mt. Pyre and information pertaining to the Red Orb. Her hope was that, despite the rather ambiguous description, as Hoenn natives, they would draw from her message to seek the elderly couple at the top of Mt. Pyre and ask for elaboration. She realized that she was putting a lot of faith in those people – as she'd been doing for months know – but writing outright 'the Red Orb' was far too dangerous on the off-chance Wingull was intercepted.

Her time spent undercover in Team Aqua had taught her a lot about herself, though not all the traits she had discovered were necessarily good ones. For instance, her ability to lie – a skill she had never been particularly adept at – had increased exponentially in order to allow her to pass unnoticed amongst the ranks of the organization. Her temperament, which had always rested somewhere between 'easy to anger' and 'hair thin', had (out of sheer necessity) been tamed into something more controlled. As it wouldn't do to have her flying off the handle at every slight that irritated her, she had started to filter things through her mind before reacting to them, resulting in a calmer persona.

Misty felt more…balanced…as a result of her infiltration, as if being forced to act like someone else had smoothed out several of the hard edges her character had possessed as a younger teenager. In some ways, she knew she should be grateful for the experience, for making her a better person, but the horrible memories of the things she'd done always negated her satisfaction.

She wondered idly if there could ever be forgiveness for some of the missions she'd carried out. Misty wasn't one to believe in a higher power, but morality and ethics were important, and working for Team Aqua had definitely placed her in a rather shady area when it came to scruples. Lance had been right in warning her ahead of time what might be expected of her, though Misty's imagination hadn't been overly accurate in conjuring ideas of what the reality had ended up entailing.

Would her sisters understand why she had done what she had done? Would her friends? Would Ash?

That had been one of the reasons the redhead had hoped to never run into Ash while working for Team Aqua; she wasn't sure if she could face his judgment. It was one thing to return from being a spy and be more mature after time apart when the other party didn't know where she'd been; it was quite another to try and justify her actions to someone who had some inkling of what she'd done. And Ash's opinion was important to her. Their separation in Kanto after the Silver Conference had been proof enough of that.

Just how significant his opinion was…well, that was a well that Misty wasn't quite ready to plumb yet.

She could only hope that, whenever they next met up, Ash could find it in himself to forgive her for her actions.

-l-l-l-

Ash gripped the edges of the sink with white-knuckled intensity, staring at his reflection in the mirror. He didn't look as gaunt as he imagined he would have, considering how he felt, but his face _was_ an unusual pallor. With his hood down, it was easy to tell that his hair was shorter than usual – not by too much, but enough that anyone who knew him could tell. The messy clumps of black hair that normally stuck out from the side of his head had been trimmed to something more tamable, with the top getting shortened slightly to produce a more even effect. Combined with the personality he had to fake and the outfit he had to wear, Ash felt like a completely different person.

Team Magma's uniform consisted of a black, sleeveless shirt worn under a red, hooded ensemble that was designed to drape over the shoulders, ending just above his elbows. The hood itself possessed two black, pointed spikes that vaguely resembled ears and a black oval where it covered his forehead; its brim fell low enough so that when it was up, it kept most of his features cast in shadow. He wore baggy, black pants that were held up by a red belt, and his feet were shod in boots that were colored black over the foot and red over the shin. The same style of gloves adorned his hands, and compared to how well his normal, fingerless gloves fit, they were bulky and awkward.

Not that Team Magma seemed to place much value on comfort; his room was a prime example of that.

The place was tiny, boasting only a bed (which was really more of a cot), a small sink (a sort of metal bowl with a spigot) with a mirror placed above it, a round nightstand, and what could only be described as a cabinet for his clothes and belongings. To Ash, it looked uncomfortably like what he had always imagined a prison cell to be like.

All the rooms had probably been designed to accommodate the limited space aboard Team Magma's base, which was a massive ship that tended to roam the sea of Routes 124 and 125. The irony of a land-oriented organization having a waterborne base was not lost on Ash.

Ash turned on the cold water and cupped the liquid in his hands, splashing it on his face. The temperature sent a jolt to his system, snapping him out of his funk. He looked back up at the mirror, noting the sort of haunted look his normally bright eyes had adopted. That would disappear after a time (he hoped), once the memories of his second mission were behind him.

_Field Commander Tabitha led Ash and a handful of other grunts up the treacherous climb of the Jagged Pass to the peak of Mt. Chimney. Interrogation of the elderly couple at Mt. Pyre (who had appeared terror-stricken at their presence, as if they had known exactly what Team Magma was there for) had revealed that the Blue Orb had been relocated to the inactive volcano, where the family of the Lavaridge Gym Leader could watch over it._

_An older woman with white hair tied into a bun greeted them at the top. "Lava cookie?" she offered with a smile, holding out a treat the color of melted dark chocolate._

"_We're looking for something far sweeter than any dessert," Tabitha responded. "Where's the Blue Orb?"_

_The woman closed her eyes and brought a finger to her chin in thought. "Hm? I'm sure I don't know what you're talking about, sonny. I merely sell these lava cookies to any hikers looking to regain a bit of stamina after coming to Mt. Chimney."_

"_Cut the crap, lady," barked the Field Commander. "We know that the Blue Orb was given to a member of the Lavaridge Gym Leader's family on top of Mt. Chimney. You're the only one here, so fork it over."_

_Suddenly, the woman opened one eye and fixed the group with a predatory look. "O-ho, you're well informed." She dug into her cart and pulled out a Pokéball, snapping it open; a Blaziken appeared in a flash of light, the fire on its wrists burning brightly. "But I should warn you, if you continue to seek the orb, you'll discover just where my granddaughter inherited her fiery passion from."_

_Tabitha unleashed his Mightyena from its Pokéball. "Back me up," he commanded his team. Almost immediately, the grunts surrounding Ash released their own Pokémon, and he found himself surrounded by a pair of Numel, a Slugma, and a Houndour. "Mightyena, Shadow Ball," Tabitha ordered._

_As Blaziken jumped over the dark sphere, Ash waffled on what to do. It had always been against his code to go against the rules of the Pokémon League which stated that the amount of Pokémon used by each opponent should be equal, but Team Magma clearly had no compunctions about violating that restriction. In addition, if he understood what this lady was saying, she was Flannery's grandmother. Ash had bonded with Flannery during the time he had waited for his gym match to occur, and the idea of hurting a member of her family wasn't a comfortable one._

_Then he remembered his promise to Lance – the stipulation that allowed him to work undercover – and he swallowed his discomfort; even if he didn't like it, he _had_ to obey Tabitha's orders._

_He looked up to find the majority of his team's Pokémon defeated, and Blaziken bearing down on Mightyena with a powerful Blaze Kick. Grasping a Pokéball around his belt, he tossed it out and yelled, "Torkoal, Iron Defense!"_

_The Coal Pokémon appeared in a flash of light right behind the Dark-type, his grey shell taking on a metallic sheen. Mightyena dodged to the side, letting Blaziken's attack connect with Torkoal's reinforced protection. Ash saw the Fire/Fighting hybrid shudder from the impact, and mentally apologized for doing what was required of him._

_Tabitha took the brief moment of paralysis to capitalize on their opponent. "Mightyena, Hyper Beam."_

_The blast connected squarely with Blaziken, sending the Blaze Pokémon skidding across the craggy surface of Mt. Chimney. "Blaziken!" shouted the woman, turning to her Pokémon. She froze suddenly as the sharp tip of a purple wing came across her throat._

"_I wouldn't move if I were you," Tabitha advised, "or else my Golbat's wing might just _slip._"_

"…_What do you want?"_

"_The Blue Orb, if you would."_

_There was a tense moment where both trainers stared down the other; Golbat's wing moved a little closer to Flannery's grandmother's throat, the tip acquiring a blue glow. "…In the cart," the woman said, realizing that she couldn't get out of her situation._

_Tabitha reached in and dug around, eventually coming out with the Blue Orb in grasp, which he immediately placed in a box. "Ah, my thanks to you," he commended. "Now we shall take our leave."_

"_Your plan will never work! What you're trying to achieve is madness!"_

"_Hmph, we'll see," Tabitha replied, recalling Mightyena; Golbat remained where it was, to ensure that the elderly female wouldn't try to follow them. As he passed Ash, the Field Commander nodded to his subordinate. "Good work."_

_Ash recalled Torkoal silently and followed Tabitha down the mountain, his subdued expression hidden by the hood of Team Magma's uniform. If he did such good work, why did he feel so crummy?_

Ash was glad that he hadn't thrown up yet, like he had after his first mission…that had been an eye-opening experience. Of course, now he knew why he hadn't felt good, why he felt so out-of-sorts and looked sickly; the work he'd been forced to do for Team Magma in order to retain his cover was so opposite his nature that the effect of completing his assignments was wearing on him physically. Even taking into consideration Lance's warning about what he would be forced to do, Ash hadn't considered the extent of the villainy he'd had to endure…or enact. His thoughts had solely been on supporting Misty in any way he could.

He took a moment to admire his friend's strength of character. He'd only been at work for about a month now, and he could already tell that this was, and would continue to be, the most difficult challenge he'd ever undergone. For Misty to have been working for Team Aqua for 10 months now and still be able to make rational decisions the likes of the one she'd made at the Weather Institute spoke of how well she'd adapted to the environment.

Not that that was necessarily a good thing, but she was probably managing better than he was.

Ash wondered briefly if his best friend would be any different when they finally met up, changed because of her experience working undercover. He knew that he wouldn't be able to look at the world the same way he had before once his mission ended, much of his naivety stripped away at the harshness of reality.

His new understanding actually made Ash desire to try and protect the ordinary person even more fiercely, so that travesties like the intimidation of the couple on Mt. Pyre or the threat to Flannery's grandmother on Mt. Chimney didn't happen again. Perhaps Lance would allow him to join the G-Men, albeit in a capacity that didn't involve infiltrating crime syndicates and committing felonies. He was a straightforward thinker, and a more direct course of action – physically interfering with the plans of evildoers, for instance – would suit his personality better than what he was currently doing.

Maybe he and Misty could even be partners, assuming she even wanted to stay with the G-Men.

It was weird to think that he was focusing on a completely different path for him and the redhead when there were still Pokémon Leagues for him to compete in, and the Cerulean City Gym for her to run. Making new friends in May and Max was all well and good, but Ash would've been lying to say that he didn't miss Misty.

He shook his head to rid himself of that thought. Now wasn't the time to dwell on any of his friends…he had a responsibility to let Lance know that Team Magma had acquired the Blue Orb. He grabbed a piece of paper from the cabinet and sat down on his cot, dragging the nightstand in front of him and picking up the pen already on it. Writing in code was an art form that Ash didn't quite have mastered yet, and he sucked on the pen cap as he thought about what to jot down. After some consideration, he scribbled down:

_Found a real treasure the other day, a massive sapphire. Hopefully, that should be enough to tame Terra's anger. Still don't know when I'm going to give it to her, though. Any advice?_

_-A._

_There,_ he thought, rereading the note once more with a little pride. To anyone else, it sounded as if he was looking for help on giving his girlfriend a gift, but the Decryption Squad would know that the sapphire was a reference to the Blue Orb, and 'Terra' (a word Ash had been told meant 'earth') was really Groudon, creator of land in Hoenn's mythology. He left his room and went topside, calling upon Swellow to tie the message to the bird's leg; the Flying-type took off immediately afterwards.

Ash watched his Pokémon disappear into the distance, hoping that things would come to an end soon enough. His time in Team Magma had made him a little smarter, more careful, and saddled him with responsibility and maturity he hadn't possessed before becoming a spy, but the cost had been a healthy amount of his innocence on how the world worked. He wasn't sure whether the tradeoff would reflect positively or negatively when he next met up with his friends, but he knew that he didn't want to test how much more his personality would shift by dragging out his time working for the criminal organization.

Misty would probably understand…maybe she'd even appreciate that he wasn't as dense as he used to be when they traveled together. They could go out and catch up and compare experiences, and maybe he would say something that would start an argument between them, and then everything would return to normal.

It was a day Ash was looking forward to.

-l-l-l-

Lance sat at his desk at Indigo Plateau, lost in thought. It had been two months since Ash had gone undercover in Team Magma, and almost a year since he had asked Misty to do the same for Team Aqua. The messages he received from Hoenn's Decryption Squad were reassuring in that he at least knew that the two children were okay, although the content of said messages were anything but comforting.

Unfortunately, he had yet to find time to address the issue of putting the kibosh on either organization's movements, especially since neither Ash nor Misty had been able to give him much information on either of the bosses. Team Rocket was persistent in causing trouble in the Sevii Islands and Johto, and the newly established Team Galactic was making a nuisance of itself in Sinnoh, where the League Champion, Cynthia, was trying to balance tracking their movements with her own responsibilities. Lorelei – who had taken over the position of Cerulean Gym Leader while Misty was away – was still holding up her responsibility, though Lance could tell that she wanted nothing more than to be a part of the team interfering with the Team Rocket members wreaking havoc in the Sevii Islands.

Still, Teams Magma and Aqua would have to be dealt with, and soon. From the latest information, both syndicates were getting close to accomplishing their goal, having already obtained the treasures necessary to control the Legendary Pokémon of Hoenn, and that was a bad omen.

A short beep from his computer alerted Lance to a new email message, and as he moved his mouse to clear the screensaver, another beep sounded. Both missives were from the Decryption Squad, and as he read the latest update from Ash, his blood ran cold. Misty's memo was the same, with only two words of difference.

_Team Magma/Aqua has captured Kyogre/Groudon. A trade is being set up in two weeks' time on Monsu Island. What should I do?_

Lance hit the reply button and typed out 'Tell them to stall' hastily before sending the message. The Decryption Squad would scribble out a short memo for Wingull and Swellow to take back to their trainers, and then Ash and Misty would have to fend for themselves against all odds.

Until he got there, anyway.

The League Champion grabbed his trademark black- and red-colored cape from its hook by his door and swept out the office. Full strike team be damned, Lance wasn't going to let the kids he put in danger's way fight the coming battle on their own.

-l-l-l-

**Author's Note:** Jeez, this was a huge pain. Ash and Misty's thoughts did not come easily. I'm hoping to have this story done before New Year's rolls around, but…we'll see.

Anyway, thanks to those of you who reviewed. Don't hesitate to let me know what you think of this installment!


	4. Chapter 4

Misty resisted the urge to sigh as she patrolled the docks where Team Aqua's submarine was berthed. It was a boring duty, even if she understood why she and another grunt had been assigned the task.

A couple of days ago, Tactical Commander Shelly had been deployed to go undercover on Team Magma's ship – and how she had managed to do it, Misty still had no idea – to free Kyogre from whatever cell it was being kept in. She had returned a number of hours prior and reported her mission's success to Archie, who had picked up the Red Orb and began to manipulate the Legendary Pokémon's actions.

Then Archie had led the rest of Team Aqua to Monsu Island to meet Team Magma for their supposed appointment to exchange Legendaries, though Archie's plans had changed to obtaining the Blue Orb so he could control both Legendaries instead. Shelly had commanded Misty and a second grunt to stay behind and protect the container that kept Groudon restrained, in case Team Magma sent some subordinates to break out the Continent Pokémon like she had done with Kyogre.

Misty spared a glance in the direction of the giant metal box that was strapped to the submarine. Over the two weeks since the trade had been arranged, the redhead had found no real opportunity to 'stall' as Lance had requested. Groudon had always been protected by several guards when the ship wasn't underwater, and there was no way of interfering in the trade without implicating herself in the process.

Actually, this was the closest she had come to being able to do anything since Team Aqua had captured Groudon for leverage weeks ago. It would be rather simple to knock out her fellow guard – she was one of the better battlers in Team Aqua's ranks – but there was nowhere to go from there. Only Shelly and Archie had the password to unlock the metallic prison Groudon was in, and there were certain to be other restraints that she had no idea how to deal with.

Not to mention that Team Magma was more than likely to show up, and she couldn't afford to take out her associate, free Groudon, and deal with them all at the same time.

"Hey, stop!"

Misty whirled at the shout, a Pokéball in her grasp. Her associate was already doing battle with a member of Team Magma; he seemed to know what she was about to do, for he shouted, "There's a second one, but he took off. Go after him!"

She nodded and began running around the docks, looking for the other intruder. Years of wandering around Kanto, Johto, and the Orange Islands ensured that she was physically fit enough to chase down the interloper without any real problems. When she turned a corner, a young man dressed in Team Magma's usual uniform was staring at the keyboard which controlled the mechanized locks of the metal box containing Groudon; he had doubled back to try and free Groudon. "Staryu, Water Gun!" she called, tossing out the Star Shape Pokémon's ball.

Staryu appeared with a cry of, "Hy-ah!" and fired a stream of liquid from its top spike. The Team Magma grunt jumped backwards to avoid the attack, and Misty watched his head swivel in her direction. He seemed for freeze for all of a second before he took off running again. Misty commanded Staryu to follow him from the sea and then gave chase herself.

It only took a number of minutes for the Team Magma member to make a wrong turn and end up at a dead end of the docks. He stared out over the open water for a moment, appearing to contemplate his options, before turning around to find Misty had boxed him in.

Waiting for any sudden movements from her quarry, Misty almost thought that he looked…apprehensive…about making a move against her. The idea was somewhat preposterous, considering that there was no reason for Team Magma to hesitate in attacking Team Aqua – especially since she was standing between him and his objective – but there was a distinct vibe she sensed from his body language that hinted towards that inkling. Still, experience had taught her to never lower her guard…

She was proven right when he reached for his belt and tossed out a Pokéball with an ordered, "Flamethrower!"

"Staryu, Water Gun!"

The Star Shape Pokémon burst out of the sea and once again sent a jet of water from its top spike. It struck the newly revealed form of a tortoise-like Pokémon before any flames could be expelled. "Torkoal, no!" shouted the Team Magma member, and for a moment, the care he showed his Pokémon reminded Misty starkly of her best friend.

When he started to move towards the downed Fire-type, Misty warned, "Don't move, or I'll attack again." The Team Magma member flinched slightly, his hooded head swiveling between the downed Torkoal and Staryu, who was now standing on the dock, ready to attack at its trainer's behest. After several moments, he raised his hands in surrender, prompting Misty to move towards him warily.

He kept his face aimed at the ground as she approached, remaining quiet as she took a rope meant for anchoring boats to the dock and used it to bind his hands behind his back. "How many of you are there?" she asked, not really expecting an (honest) answer.

"Just me and one other," he replied, and though his voice was a bit rougher than she had expected, there was a familiar timbre to it that she couldn't quite put her finger on. "What about your team?"

She yanked a little harder on the rope than strictly necessary, causing him to flinch. "I'm asking the questions here."

"Fine, fine, just…easy with the rope there, Mist, it really burns when you tighten it."

Misty jumped in shock, both her nickname and the higher pitch in the voice catching her attention. She grabbed the brim of his hood and pulled it back.

Ash Ketchum twisted his head to look at her over his shoulder and tossed her a grin. "How's it going?"

"You – you," she spluttered, "how – what – _what are you DOING HERE?_"

The raven-haired boy's grin slipped a little. "Well, I was ordered to release Groudon, so that we wouldn't have to go through with the trade, but I guess you guys got ahead of us by freeing Kyogre –"

Misty stomped down on the wooden boards of the dock angrily. "I don't mean _here_, in this spot; I mean, _here_, dressed like…like a member of Team Magma!"

"Long story." He looked around curiously. "So, about the number of people with you…?"

Misty didn't answer, instead staring in stunned silence at her best friend's profile. Ash's mere presence was flabbergasting in the extreme, and it left her off-kilter enough that she almost missed the radio in her ear crackling. "I've apprehended my guy," came the voice of her associate. "Do you need assistance?"

"No! I mean," she replied less frantically, "no, I've got this under control. Go take your prisoner to the boss before anything else happens. I'll be there soon enough." She released the small button on the communicator slowly, barely registering the 'roger' that filtered through it, her blue-green eyes not leaving Ash's brown ones. "It's just you and me now," she told him, moving to stand before him. "_Now_ will you tell me why you're here? And…were you pitching your voice earlier?"

"Yeah…I didn't want you to recognize me too early in case someone else was nearby," Ash admitted. He sat down on the dock cross-legged, ignoring the fact that his hands were still tied behind his back. For all intents and purposes, it almost seemed like he was getting ready to enjoy a nice meeting with a friend. "I came for you, Mist," he said, and there was such sincerity in his voice that Misty momentarily felt regret for freaking out on him.

Then she blinked, trying to understand the words he had just uttered. "What?"

"Did you think I was just going to leave you alone after what happened at the Weather Institute?"

"I had hoped you would," Misty muttered, sitting down across from him. "Ash, you don't understand how dangerous –"

"I do."

Misty blinked again, surprised at being interrupted. "What?"

"I know exactly how dangerous this is," Ash said seriously, and Misty was forced to admit that he had never seemed so composed in the face of danger before. "Lance made sure to warn me what I would have to do if I pretended to join Team Magma. I knew what I was getting myself into by coming here…though I gotta say that some of the things I've been forced to do haven't been fun."

"But…why did you do all this?"

"I told you already, I came for you. After Lance explained what you were doing, I couldn't just let you do all this by yourself. What if something happened to you?"

Misty was simultaneously touched and annoyed by his words; it was really sweet that Ash cared so much about her, but on the other hand, she had been doing just fine before he had shown up…had, in fact, survived her first 10 years without Ash Ketchum in her life. The conflicting feelings warred with each other for a moment; annoyance won out. "I'm not some damsel in distress that needs to be rescued, Ash," she snapped. "You were better off continuing your journey to compete in the Ever Grande Conference than coming here and putting yourself in danger –"

"And just leave you alone? What kind of person do you take me for?" he shot back, suddenly on his feet and incensed. "I don't just leave my friends behind when there's something I can do to help them, Mist."

The redhead remained quiet at that remark, the silence broken only by the pattering of rain as it began to fall upon them; it started out as a slow drizzle that rapidly built into a pelting downpour. Both teenagers were soaked within a minute, Ash standing above Misty, staring down at her with a fire in his eyes that was usually reserved for Pokémon battling.

Misty finally found the sense to actually look at her friend, taking notice of the tired discoloration around his eyes, the pallor of his face, the cut of his hair, and the starkness of his cheekbones. _Since when did Ash get so…mature?_ He looked more adult, more world weary, and the knowledge that he had sacrificed so much for _her_ caused her heart to flutter in her breast. Slowly, she rose to her feet and walked towards Ash, aware of his intense, brown eyes watching her every movement. When she was finally behind him, her fingers worked at the knots she had tied into the rope, undoing them with quiet deliberation.

Ash's bonds fell to the ground moments later, and he recalled Torkoal silently. "So," he asked, "what's our next move?"

Misty was a little surprised that the other trainer would willingly defer to her judgment (especially given his dislike for doing so in the past), but she recovered quickly. "Archie is using Kyogre to create this rain," she said. "I think we should try to free Groudon so that neither Team Magma nor Team Aqua can use it. Un…fortunately, I don't know how to release it from its container."

"Well, we'll figure something out," Ash reassured her, shooting her a small smile. He held out his hand for her to grasp. "Together."

Misty grabbed the proffered appendage and the two took off in the direction of Groudon's prison, splashing through the puddles forming on the docks; Staryu dove back into the sea and followed them as best as it could.

They arrived at the control panel minutes later, both of them offering the keyboard blank stares. "I don't suppose you've gotten any better at electronics in our time apart, have you?" Misty asked.

Ash shook his head. "No…but I think I've got an idea. Where's Staryu?"

The Star Shape Pokémon chose that moment to jump out of the sea; seeing it, Ash unclipped a Pokéball from his belt and opened it in his hand, Quilava appearing in a flash of light. Fire ignited into a crest on his head and rump, and steam hissed into existence as the rain continued to come down. Misty was momentarily taken aback. "When did Cyndaquil –?"

"Later," Ash interjected. "Quilava, I need you to use your strongest Flamethrower right now."

The Volcano Pokémon nodded at the command before taking a deep breath and spewing white-hot flames at Groudon's container. Misty realized the strategy Ash was employing, and once Quilava cut off his attack, she ordered Staryu to blast the superheated metal with a Water Gun. After several rounds of this, Ash enlarged a second Pokéball, snapping it open to reveal his Phanpy. "Alright Phanpy, use Take Down on the spot Quilava and Staryu have been attacking."

Phanpy charged forward and threw his entire weight against the metal wall, breaking through it and falling inside the container. The elephantine Pokémon righted himself and flapped his ears with pride as Ash and Misty clambered through the hole. Ash offered the Ground-type a pat on the head before recalling him and asking Quilava to come inside and light up the interior. Misty tried to bite back a gasp as the flames on the Fire-type's body burned brightly, illuminating the container's interior.

Groudon was huge – approximately double the height of the two trainers – with a grey underbelly and red skin that look to be plated, broken by black lines into segments. Spikes decorated its body, and its head was crested with several flat ridges, giving it the appearance of wearing a medieval helmet. Its eyes were closed – probably resting, Misty assumed (hoped) – but its arms, legs, and tail were all restrained by massive metal bracers that were connected to the walls, preventing it from moving. "Break the restraints," Ash told her, commanding Quilava to use Eruption in the next instant.

_This seems dangerous,_ thought the redhead, but she complied by calling out Corsola and telling her to use Tackle. The Coral Pokémon obeyed eagerly, throwing herself bodily into the nearest restraint and breaking it with her rocky body. Misty watched her go through two more before she looked up to find Groudon watching her with piercing golden eyes. She stifled the surprised shriek that threatened to burst from her lips, trying not to think about how easily the massive Pokémon could squash her like a bug.

Groudon roared suddenly, thrashing its newly freed limbs about the metallic prison. Its tail rose up, breaking through the brace holding it down, completely freeing the Continent Pokémon from its bindings. A hand grabbed Misty around the upper arm, and Ash's voice shouted, "We need to get out of here!" She acquiesced with the command by turning around and practically diving out of the hole they'd created, Ash, Quilava, and Corsola moments behind her.

The metal box detonated in an explosion of heat and fire, accompanied by another earth-shattering roar from Groudon. "Well," Ash managed, grinning in the face of what Misty considered obvious peril, "we did it."

"You certainly did," interjected a gruff, slightly maniacal voice. Ash and Misty looked up to find a man wearing Team Aqua's blue bandana hovering above them in some sort of flying contraption. The Red Orb was gripped tightly in his right hand. "I came to put my plans into action, but it seems I arrived just in time to interrupt a Romeo and Juliet moment. Well, I know how to deal with traitors…" The Red Orb glowed ominously in his hand. "Kyogre! Drown them in the sea!"

The Sea Basin Pokémon launched itself out of the water and expelled a torrent of liquid at the two trainers. Misty closed her eyes, terrified for the first time in her life of the element she specialized in.

"Dragonite, Hyper Beam!"

Bright light seared against her eyelids. "Lance!" called Ash, and Misty opened blue-green eyes to find the Kanto League Champion riding on the back of his Dragonite.

Lance grinned down at the two of them. "It looks like I arrived in the nick of time. Good to see you're both okay. Now then," he continued, turning to Archie, "you've got a lot to answer for."

"Hah!" Archie laughed. "You'll have to get past Kyogre first! Kyogre –"

"Gyarados, Hyper Beam!"

Lance's red Gyarados exploded out of the water and fired a blast of yellow-orange energy at the other Water-type. Kyogre bellowed at the impact and fell back into the sea. "It's futile!" Archie cackled, the Red Orb glowing once more. "Kyogre, Ice Beam!"

As Lance's Gyarados battled with Kyogre, the red-haired trainer himself flew down and landed beside Ash and Misty, swinging his legs over Dragonite's back so that his black boots splashed in the puddles on the dock. Both Ash and Misty opened their mouths to speak, but the Kanto League Champion held up a hand to forestall them. "Listen, there's not much time.

"More research was conducted into the mythologies surrounding Groudon, Kyogre and the two orbs. With prolonged contact, the Red and Blue Orbs are eventually absorbed into the person using them, overriding their consciousness. Once this happens, we're not sure how to reverse the process, or even if it is reversible, so it would be best if we took the orbs back before that occurs. Though," he said, looking at Archie as the man released a pained holler, "it might be too late."

Glowing blue markings appeared on Archie's chest. Lance turned to Ash and gripped his shoulders. "Ash, listen to me very carefully. You need to find the Blue Orb and retrieve it before it can possess someone. Misty and I will keep Archie and Kyogre busy and try to figure out how to remove the Red Orb from his body."

Ash shot a concerned glance at his female friend. "But –"

"Misty will be fine," Lance reassured him, "I'll make sure of that. You have to trust me…Groudon is already moving away from here, and I'm afraid that probably means that someone is controlling its actions. There's no telling what will happen if Groudon and Kyogre are forced to do battle while Archie and Maxie try to accomplish their endgames. Do you understand?"

The dark-haired trainer hesitated only a moment before nodding. In a surprising move, he embraced Misty quickly and whispered, "Be careful," in her ear before recalling Quilava and unclipping a different Pokéball from his belt. With a flash of light, Charizard stood before the trio, and Ash climbed upon the Flame Pokémon's back.

"When you retrieve the Blue Orb, _don't touch it,_" Lance warned. "We don't need you to get possessed by it, no matter how good your intentions are." Ash waved a hand in acknowledgment before telling Charizard to take flight.

Misty watched trainer and Pokémon depart, but Lance's voice drew her attention away from the diminishing sight of her friend. "Do you have someone who can brave these waters?" She nodded, tossing out a Pokéball and allowing the blue form of her own Gyarados to appear in the turbulent sea. "Good. Our Gyarados will have to wear down Kyogre while Dragonite and I distract Archie. By attacking on two fronts, Archie shouldn't be able to defend both himself and Kyogre. Does that sound good?"

She jumped atop Gyarados' head and stood there, one hand upon the middle spike of his tri-pointed crest. "Got it. Good luck."

"And to you," Lance returned, scaling Dragonite's back. Moments later, the Dragon/Flying hybrid rose into the air, and Misty led her Atrocious Pokémon to join Lance's in the battle of the sea.

-l-l-l-

Charizard flew towards the center of Monsu Island while his trainer scouted out the surrounding area. Down below, Groudon was tromping towards the same location – the location, Ash assumed, where the trade was supposed to have taken place. An intense sunlight was bearing down upon him, breaking through the grey clouds that Kyogre had summoned; Ash wondered when the weather had so drastically flip-flopped, as it was still pouring buckets back at the docks.

Returning his attention to the task at hand, the dark-haired trainer's eyes focused on the dormant volcano in the distance. He had heard that Team Magma's goal of expanding the land would be set into motion by having Groudon trigger a volcano. With that idea in mind, he knew that the Continent Pokémon would be heading in that direction, and the holder of the Blue Orb – the controller of Groudon's actions – would be there waiting for the legendary creature.

Ash patted Charizard's leathery neck. "As fast as you can go, buddy," he urged. "We've gotta get to that volcano before Groudon does!"

-l-l-l-

**Author's Note:** Son of a – I am TERRIBLE at writing consistently for this fandom. Thankfully there's only one chapter left, and I'm hoping to give it the majority of my attention in order to finish this thing off. Thanks to those of you who reviewed, and let me know what you think of this installment!


	5. Chapter 5

Charizard alighted upon the mouth of the volcano, digging into the craggy rock with his sharp claws. Ash jumped off the Flame Pokémon's back and rushed closer to where Maxie was standing, holding the Blue Orb in his right hand. It was glowing a deep sapphire color, and the raven-haired trainer spared a glance to the forest below, where Groudon was moving steadily closer, crushing trees beneath its hulking mass.

Maxie seemed to take notice of his presence, for he turned to face Ash with a smirk. "So," he stated, "it seems that not all of my men share my ideals."

Ash held up his hands in a gesture of peace. "It doesn't have to end like this, Maxie," he offered. "Just stop what you're doing. Let Groudon go and turn over the Blue Orb."

A slightly crazed expression twisted Team Magma's leader's features. "Never! The opportunity to expand the landmass is finally within my grasp, and I refuse to relinquish it!"

_Well,_ Ash sighed, _it was worth a shot._ In all honesty, he had expected Maxie's refusal to his offer, but it didn't hurt to at least try. People with ill intentions, he had learned, were unlikely to change; it might've been naively optimistic to hope Team Magma's leader would give up, but Ash's conscience could at least rest easy knowing he had extended the opportunity for repentance.

Now, with no other option available to him, it was time to correct Maxie's wrongs by force. "Charizard, use Dragon Rage," he commanded. The flame on his Pokémon's tail doubled in size as the Fire/Flying hybrid opened his maw, a sphere of yellow-white energy forming within.

Maxie reached into his pocket and withdrew a Pokéball, opening it in the palm of his left hand. "Camerupt, Amnesia," he ordered. A large, red-furred quadruped appeared in a flash of white light, three blue rings decorating both sides of its body in a horizontal line. It grunted in a low voice, staring down the approaching attack with a listless expression. When the Dragon-type attack connected, Camerupt made nary a sound, and when Ash could see the Eruption Pokémon, it looked completely unfazed by the attack. "Now, retaliate with Rock Slide!" Maxie said.

Large rocks burst out of the twin, craggy spouts embedded in Camerupt's back, and Ash immediately tried to backpedal away from the danger without losing his footing in the process. It proved unnecessary when large wings folded around him and adopted a metallic sheen; the rocks clattered uselessly against Charizard's protective Steel Wing. "Thanks, buddy," he commented when the Flame Pokémon released him. "Think you can handle that Camerupt on your own?" Charizard rumbled and snorted out twin puffs of smoke, seemingly insulted that his former trainer even needed to ask. "Great, I'm counting on you."

With that, he unclipped a Pokéball from his belt and tossed it into the air as Charizard unleashed a violent Flamethrower upon Camerupt. He ignored what was happening with his Pokémon, trusting the Fire/Flying hybrid to make it through the battle victorious. He tilted his head up at the raspy trill of his Swellow, the avian circling above him. "Swellow," he called, and then patted his shoulder, "grab on!"

The Swallow Pokémon alighted upon him with a caw, red talons digging into the material of Team Magma's hooded ensemble at his shoulders. "Ready?" he asked his Pokémon. Swellow trilled in response; Ash took that as affirmation, and he stepped over the ledge and began to skid diagonally down the volcano. "Alright Swellow, use Agility!"

White light trailed from Swellow's wings as the bird propelled forward, dragging his trainer along with him. Ash struggled to run along the uneven surface of the volcano as Swellow prevented him from tumbling down the side into the forest below. "Up!" he shouted once they were safely past the point where Camerupt and Charizard were battling. Swellow's grip on his shoulders tightened as he veered up, bringing his trainer on a direct path to where Maxie was giving commands to his Camerupt.

_This might not have been the best idea,_ Ash thought, experiencing vertigo as Swellow altered his Agility into a modified Aerial Ace. _But,_ he considered, glancing back momentarily to where Groudon was mere steps away from the volcano, _I don't think I really had any time to come up with something better._

He reached the edge of the volcano where Maxie was standing just as the older man shouted, "Groudon, the time has finally come to see my dream achieve fruition! Heed my demands and use Eruption on this volcano so that it spews lava, expanding the landmass!" The Blue Orb shone even brighter in his hand and began to sink into his palm as Groudon's eyes glowed sinisterly.

"NO!" Ash reached out for the sphere as Swellow carried him over the volcano's lip. Unfortunately, the bird's momentum was so great that he overshot Team Magma's leader, and in an act of desperation, he did the only thing he could think of.

His foot lashed out and connected with the older man's hand. Surprised and injured, Maxie's grip on the Blue Orb relaxed, causing the ancient relic to go skyward, courtesy of Ash's kick. The raven-haired trainer reached out and grabbed it with his gloved hand, cradling it to his chest.

At that point, Swellow's momentum seemed to have carried them as far as they could go, and as Ash drastically outweighed the bird Pokémon, they began to descend. Swellow tried to slow their fall as best as he could, but it barely minimized the impact Ash hit the ground with, as short a distance as it was. "Ow," he moaned, climbing shakily to his feet.

Actually…the entire ground was shaking. He glanced down to find Groudon's claws set against the volcano, boiling the magma within to cause it to erupt. Gripping the Blue Orb tightly in both hands, Ash shouted, "Groudon, stop! Go back to your home!"

The shaking ceased after several moments, and as Ash watched, Groudon started to dig its way below the surface, returning to its natural habitat. Somehow, the ease with which he stopped Groudon seemed rather anticlimactic, but maybe it was better that it hadn't gotten unnecessarily complicated. "Phew…now, what to do with this?" he wondered, staring at the Blue Orb.

"Insolent…little…_brat,_" Maxie raged, glaring at him. "Do you have any idea what you just did?"

"Saved the world?" Ash tried.

"You've ruined _years_ of patience and preparation! Camerupt," he snapped, "use Earthquake! Finish what Groudon started!"

"Charizard, DragonBreath!"

Green flames washed over the Eruption Pokémon before it could use its attack, paralyzing it on the spot. Charizard beat his wings to hop over his opponent and confront Maxie; the older man turned around to find Ash standing there, Swellow flapping his wings to remain level with his trainer's head. "Give up, Maxie," Ash advised. "You've lost."

Team Magma's leader growled, but after looking between the fiery dragon and the trainer with his Swellow, realized he was outnumbered. "Fine." Ash walked up to him and withdrew the length of rope Misty had tied him up with (he had grabbed it before freeing Groudon from its container, unsure if it would be useful in a later situation) from his pocket, pulling Maxie's arms behind his back and binding them at the wrist. Taking off Team Magma's red hood, he stuffed the Blue Orb inside and tied it together, making it so he wouldn't have to touch the ancient relic. He looked in the direction of the docks to find it still dumping rain.

"Charizard, Swellow, let's go," he said. "I think Misty and Lance might need our help."

-l-l-l-

Misty had faced a lot of challenges in her short life. Braving the waters around Shamouti Island to rescue her best friend while Articuno, Zapdos, Moltres, and Lugia engaged in a fierce aerial battle overhead; sneaking into a fortified mansion to rescue a little girl from the clutches of an overprotective Entei created by the Unown; trying to protect Latios and Latias from the clutches of Team Rocket…her résumé was rather impressive.

Somehow, trying to distract Kyogre with only her and Lance's Gyarados topped all of those. It was probably because in all of her other adventures, Misty had never had to outright _fight_ a Legendary Pokémon. That was something she was grateful for, as battling against Kyogre was proving to be quite difficult.

The Sea Basin Pokémon was amazingly resilient, appearing to shrug off Hyper Beams, Hydro Pumps, and anything else the two Gyarados threw at it. It didn't help that the torrential downpour that had started upon Kyogre's arrival hadn't let up, drastically reducing visibility and maneuverability, as well as giving Misty the chills.

She risked a glance skyward to find Lance still weaving around on his Dragonite, trying to find some way to retrieve the Red Orb from Archie. Team Aqua's leader had released a Crobat to run interference, and the Bat Pokémon was using its superior speed to attack the Kanto League Champion with guerrilla tactics.

Misty returned her gaze to her own battle in time to find Kyogre unleashing an Ice Beam. "Gyarados, counter with Flamethrower!" she yelled. Her Gyarados roared in response, unleashing a blast of fire that, though weakened by the rain, managed to cancel out the Ice-type attack. Kyogre dove underwater as Lance's Gyarados fired a Hyper Beam, and Misty gritted her teeth in frustration. She was used to being in control of battles that occurred in and even under water…to be losing was rather frustrating.

"Both of you, use Whirpool," she commanded, hoping to trap Kyogre within the vortexes to stall for time. The pair of Atrocious Pokémon roared to the sky, and swirling pools of water formed in the sea, creating a barrier between them and where Kyogre had submerged itself.

Overhead, she heard Lance bellow, "ENOUGH! Dragonite, Thunder!"

The already stormy clouds sparked with electricity as the Dragon Pokémon activated its attack. Lightning fell from the sky and engulfed Crobat in a blinding yellow brilliance that lit up the entire area.

Even though she had been tasked with distracting Kyogre, Misty decided to capitalize on the opportunity afforded by Dragonite's attack. "Gyarados, use Hyper Beam on that flying machine!"

Her Atrocious Pokémon did as he was bade, loosing a beam of yellow-orange energy at the mechanical contraption Archie was flying around in. The attack struck the left propeller, destroying it in an explosion of heat and shrapnel, and Team Aqua's leader bellowed as he began to lose altitude, falling in an uncontrollable spiral. Lance's voice sounded out again, calling, "Dragonite, Twister!"

The Dragon Pokémon flapped its wings, creating a miniature tornado that caught the descending machine and swept it over to the docks. Lance and his Pokémon chased after it, alighting on the wooden piers beside the downed Archie. Team Aqua's leader seemed to be a bit dazed, though when Lance swung his legs over Dragonite's back and approached him, he found the capacity to sneer at the Kanto League Champion. "So what now? As long as I have control of the Red Orb, Kyogre will continue to do my bidding. It will call up tidal waves to submerge the land, and there's not a thing you can –!"

Lance punched him in the face.

Archie sagged backwards, unconscious, and the Red Orb rose out of his chest and levitated in midair for a moment before the redhead grabbed it. He turned around to face the roiling sea and called, "Kyogre, please stop your rampage! Be free of the orb's influence and return to your home!"

Almost immediately, the water stopped frothing and stirring, and the black storm clouds hanging overhead began to disperse. In short order, Misty and the two Gyarados approached the docks, the blue Atrocious Pokémon lowering his head to allow his trainer to jump off. "Is that it?" she asked, disbelief clear in her voice.

Lance produced an ornate box from a small backpack hidden beneath his cape and dropped the Red Orb inside it. "It would appear so," he replied. "I have to admit, I'm surprised knocking him out worked, but I'm glad it did. There was no telling what sort of damage he could've done if we hadn't been able to retrieve the Red Orb." He knelt down and snapped a pair of handcuffs on Archie's wrists.

"Misty! Lance!" shouted a new voice.

Both redheads looked over to find Ash running towards them, Swellow at his side and Charizard lumbering behind with an irate Maxie on his back. "Ash," Lance said, relieved. "It seems your mission was a success…good. Do you have the Blue Orb?"

"Right here," responded the teenager, holding up a red, cloth bundle.

"Excellent." The Kanto League Champion took the proffered item and placed it in the same box as the Red Orb. Then he walked over and produced a second pair of handcuffs, replacing the rope binding Maxie's wrists with the more secure restraints. He marched Maxie over to where the others were and forced the older man to sit down on the dock before turning to the two teenagers. "Ash, Misty…I'm not sure words can express my gratitude to the both of you for your assistance in this entire fiasco. You've done a great service for Hoenn…for the world, actually, both today and during the course of your assignments." He offered them both a deep bow. "Thank you both for your dedication."

Ash rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. "Nah, it was nothing."

"What happens next?" Misty asked.

"Well, Maxie and Archie will both go to jail for conspiracy and a host of other criminal activity. These," he continued, holding up the box containing the Red and Blue Orbs, "will be placed in the G-Men's custody so that they never fall into the hands of people looking to use them for evil ever again. In the meantime, the Hoenn Elite Four and G-Men will work together to capture the remnants of Team Aqua and Team Magma to ensure that this travesty doesn't occur again."

Ash and Misty exchanged glances. "And Groudon and Kyogre?" the male asked.

Lance shook his head. "They'll be left to live in peace." He looked at his watch and then back at Ash. "You know, the Ever Grande Conference is beginning in a couple of hours. You'll miss some of the opening matches, but I can get you some complimentary tickets, if you'd like. It's the least I could do."

Ash looked thoughtful for a minute before declining with a shake of his head. "Nah, I'm good."

The Kanto League Champion eyed him momentarily before shrugging and calling upon a second Dragonite. Each Dragon Pokémon grabbed one of the crime syndicate leaders as Lance settled himself upon the back of the second one. "If you insist. Again, thanks for all your help…this couldn't have been accomplished without you." Then he took off, offering them a departing wave.

Misty waited until he was a speck in the distance before turning to Ash with an inquisitive expression. "It's not like you to turn down free seats to a Pokémon battle. What's the deal?"

Ash shrugged. "Nothin'. It's just…it's been awhile since we got to hang out…I thought it might be nice to just relax and catch up, ya know?"

The redhead smiled at him. "Yeah, I do…and I know just the place." She ran over and threw herself over Charizard's back. "Come on, Charizard, let's go!"

"Hey! What about me?!"

-l-l-l-

"So that's how you stopped Kyogre, huh? Pretty impressive." He was silent for a moment before commenting, "I didn't know you had a Gyarados."

"Yeah, the gym's Magikarp evolved while we were traveling around Johto. He's the powerhouse of my team now."

Ash nodded absently, gazing out into the distance in mimicry of the girl beside him. The two of them were sitting on the cliff that jutted out over Route 124, looking out over the expansive Lilycove City; Charizard was lying down as a silent sentinel behind them. Misty had insisted on coming out to view the largest city Hoenn had to offer from afar; when he had asked why they didn't just go into the city, Misty had replied that it didn't feel right to do so. He wondered if that was how they were now because of the deeds they'd committed while undercover, outsiders only able to watch the rest of the populace from a distance. "Do you think things will ever go back to normal?"

"Maybe," Misty shrugged. Then, softer, she added, "Hopefully."

"…Why'd you do it, Mist? Why'd you decide to go undercover and be a spy in Team Aqua's organization?"

She was quiet for a time, gathering her thoughts to arrive at the right answer. It was so long ago that remembering the reason took some effort. Finally, she answered, "Because I knew that, in the same situation, you'd never let innocent people suffer at the hands of people like Team Aqua, and I…I guess I wanted to do something to remind me of you."

After a brief lull, Ash chuckled to himself. "We're quite the pair, huh? You joined Team Aqua because you wanted to be like me, and I joined Team Magma because I didn't want to see you get hurt. And now…now everything's different. Where do we even belong anymore?"

Misty's blue-green eyes shifted so they were gazing more on Ash than on Lilycove. His expression was contemplative, so unlike the Ash Ketchum she had known traveling throughout Kanto, Johto, and the Orange Islands. It was now glaringly obvious that his time in Team Magma had changed him, matured him and given him a more sobering outlook on life. Without Team Magma's hood ensemble, the raven-haired trainer was wearing only a sleeveless black shirt and pants (having chucked the uniform's gloves and boots into the sea on the ride over Route 124), and his paler skin and lithe arms were only added testament to the physical changes she'd observed on the docks. If he was that different physically, how much had he changed mentally?

Then again, was it really fair to critique Ash when she had undergone her own metamorphosis? She'd been undercover far longer than he had, her hair chopped shorter to fit under Team Aqua's bandana, her complexion much more cream in color than its usual flesh-tone. Her personality had cooled considerably, tamed to react after thinking rather than exploding in the childish temper tantrums of her early teenage years. Both of them had done things that no one else would really understand, even if they said they did…and they had both done it because of the other person. In a way, they had been screwed up before becoming spies, and now, afterwards, they were still damaged, just in different ways.

Changed but unchanged…what strange contradictions they were.

"Ash?"

He turned to face her. "Yeah?"

Misty leaned closer and kissed him softly, placing her hands flat on the ground to push herself up slightly. She felt Ash tense momentarily – most likely in surprise – before his hands came to rest on her waist and he kissed back, trying to follow her lead. The pads of his fingers were warm on her midriff, her uniform and body still damp and chilled from fighting Kyogre in the middle of the sea while during a rainstorm.

They broke apart after several moments, Ash's brown eyes blinking in confusion. Misty decided to speak before he could. "Ash…even if everything's different, even if we've changed because of our experiences, we're still Ash Ketchum and Misty Waterflower. Maybe one day we can share all of the things we had to do while undercover and how that changed us, but since we've already changed once, why can't we continue to change, just…together? If you're okay with it, maybe we could…you know…_belong_…with each other…"

Ash stared at her with an inscrutable expression for a long time, and Misty was about to think that her confession was a mistake when she felt his hand crawl over hers. A smile broke out over his features. "Yeah…okay." He licked his lips. "You taste like saltwater."

Misty grinned back. "I did just get out of a climactic battle that took place in the middle of the sea, all for the sake of the world."

Ash stood up and tugged her to her feet. "C'mon, let's go get some ice cream."

"Ash, no! I'm all prune-y from the water, I need a shower, and I'm still wearing this horrible uniform…"

"Fine, fine," he relented, though he still dragged her over to where Charizard was lying down. "After you shower, _then_ we'll get ice cream." Charizard opened one eye, and upon seeing the two trainers waiting for him, stood up and allowed Misty to clamber onto his back with Ash's assistance. "Oh, but Mist? Prune-y or not, Team Aqua uniform or not…I still think you're really pretty."

Misty allowed the sincerity of her friend's words to wash over her as he climbed up on Charizard's back and settled himself behind her, his hands gripping her waist. Some things changed and some would stay the same, but at least her feelings were no longer masked by simple friendship.

It would take time, but eventually she hoped that all of their disguises would be stripped from them, leaving just her and Ash. That was the most she could pray for after all they'd gone through.

-l-l-l-

**Author's Note:** Well, it's over and done with. It was pointed out to me that the anime tricked me and switched which orb controls which Pokémon, but since I'd already labeled it like they did, I decided not to change it. Anyway, hope you enjoyed the ending, and thanks to those of you who reviewed the last chapter and to those who read and review this one.


End file.
